Can I Clear IAS Exam Without Coaching Classes?

“Can one clear IAS Exam without coaching?” You might have heard this question asked a hundred times to Civil Services Exam toppers both by media as well by future aspirants. And we have heard different versions of answers from the toppers too – depending on whether they adopted coaching or not. But in the online age – one can say with assurance – Yes, any hardworking candidate can clear IAS exam without attending classroom coaching!

Can I Clear IAS Exam Without Coaching Classes?

Yes.

There are many instances of candidates who cracked IAS without going any coaching – without spending sleepless nights and truckload of money at any coaching institutes.

But is classroom coaching bad?

No; unless the institutes are misguiding you.

Upon checking the profiles of candidates who cleared IAS, we can also see that there are candidates who cleared with coaching, without coaching, left the job for self-preparation, who cleared the exam while working and so on.

And that itself gives the answer to this question “Can I Clear IAS Exam Without Coaching Classes?” – It can be a YES or NO – It all depends on the person.

Do you need IAS Coaching? The Answer To The Long Pending Question!

Let’s start with Sachin Tendulkar. Everyone knows that Sachin is a genius. He is talented and awesome. But why did he take coaching under Ramakant Achrekar and numerous other coaches? Will he be as successful as he is today without his coaches? Any clue? Ok. Leave that topic now, but try to ponder over this: why did you attend schools and colleges if you were able to study everything on your own?

We think good coaches and mentors can help their students a lot. Of-course there are many students who do well without mentors (like Ekalavya did in Mahabharatha [excuse us, if the example is too old. Of-course there are examples from the modern world too:-) ]), but there is no doubt about the help good mentors can do. In our opinion, what they do is – reduce the work of students by half! They help reduce the burden of students. By good guidance and clear knowledge, they can help students learn fast and succeed in the age of tight competition.

Having said that, we didn’t mean that in order to succeed in IAS exam you need to attend coaching institutes the way you attended school. This not necessary. And this is not a must. Why because, you are already graduates! Apart from optional subjects, none of the questions asked in the examination requires specialized study. If your optional is not your subject of graduation, you might need coaching for that, else it is not a necessity.

Wait, the topic is not over. What if you are not confident that you can finish the vast syllabus by yourself within the limited time? What if you do not know where to start and what to study? What if you don’t know the books and magazines for UPSC preparation? Here, like what I said before, a good coach can help you reduce your work load by half. But only a good coach!

What should a good coach do?

A good coach or a good coaching institute should be able to provide these two. If you are not getting relevant and latest strategies and guidance from a coaching institute, even after spending thousands and lakhs of rupees there, then there is no meaning of attending coaching classes. At times, you might even know about students who fail to clear UPSC exam due to misguidance from coaching classes.

Coaching Classes: The latest realization

Of-course there are good coaching classes which care for the students and not their money. And not all are bad. Do Join if you find quality institutes. Don’t join institutes with a reputation of misguidance.

As what you need to get from a coaching class are just guidance and knowledge, in the online age there are alternatives. We are not saying that everyone should start subscribing this website from today :-). Of-course you can, and we hope it will do more good than harm! But as this post is not intended to sponsor ourselves let’s focus back to the topic. Apart from ClearIAS.com, there are many other good online coaching websites also which are valued by the IAS aspirant community, which you can rely upon. Good online IAS coaching websites provide much free service than many of the coaching centers, which charge you lakhs of rupees for their misguidance!

When do you need Civil Service Exam coaching?

If you are totally ignorant about the UPSC yllabus, latest pattern, IAS books and can’t formulate a strategy on your own to crack this exam.

You are running short of time (got hardly 2 or 3 months before the exam), and need a crash course to go through all the important topics.

If you are a person, who, after whatever efforts put, don’t feel confident to stay alone (without coaching, because of peer-pressure.).

If you have only very little knowledge about the optional subject you plan to take for the main exam and feel it’s a risky strategy to take it on your own.

You don’t have access to internet to browse good websites which provide IAS study materials and guidance free of cost and online shopping websites like amazon.in and flipkart.com, which provides door delivery of all books needed for IAS with free shipping and cash on delivery options.

When don’t you need Civil Service Exam coaching?

If you are confident that you can crack it your own and feel just like UPSC that coaching institutes are not a necessity in this exam.

If you are from any top institutes in India like JNU or IITs and know about the subjects, exam and pattern with details much before.

If you have already attempted this exam with coaching – Since you already know the pattern, necessary books and syllabus, spending time again in the same classes will make you feel bored.

If you are an serious analyzer of previous year questions – UPSC is putting sincere efforts to reduce the effect of coaching and spoon feeding in IAS selections, by making a drastic change in exam pattern by avoiding traditional questions and developing questions which require an analaytical frame of mind, an area where coaching institute cannot help much.

Now there are online coaching websites which provide quality guidance and study materials.

Realize that no coaching institute or online website can make a candidate an IAS officer, unlike the claims they make. The combination can be best described as 50:50. A good coaching institute can play 50% part, but unless the candidate put the next 50% effort he cannot become an IAS officer. All the best for all future IAS officers!

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ClearIAS.com provides free IAS online coaching, guidance, strategies, books, online study-materials and mock tests with a vision that no candidate should be left out of UPSC exam competition due to in-accessibility of expensive IAS classroom coaching. We write simple, easy to understand articles, but always ensure high standards of quality. Rated among the best, emerging online test preparation startups, Clear IAS also offers for free, the popular Clear IAS android app.

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Posted on November 18th, 2012 and last updated on November 18th, 2016.

Alish Aijaja: I will crack the ICS exam without coaching.In my view we should not depend much on coaching .We should giv our best effort to clear it .Really I appreciate som website is doing a great service.

i am studying in third year of B.tech electronics and communication in NIT .i have a strong desire to be an IAS,i will get a job in company but i want to be in this field,plz kindly suggest subjects that should i take for the prep.plz guide me as no one is in my contact, who can guide me for this.i will start preparing hard if you can tell me.till now i have been reading newspaper regularly.can i sit in exam this year just for an experience.since financially i am not strong so coaching is not possible for me…plz guide me i shall be very thankful to u.recommend some subjects that should be taken by ECE student.books,

Hello sir,i am the b.tech student .my branch is computer science and engg.i want to be attend the ias exam.bt in second stage is that which subject i can choose for main exam.bcz there are no option for me.bcz my branch is comp.scince.plz sir i m waiting for solving ans.for me

hii i am anand kushwaha, my aim is to become an ias officer. Now i am in indian navy but i have not sufficient time for study………i m not satisfy with my job…..how can i achieve my target ???? plz help me………

Hello sir im very frustrated in my life without guidness I spoil my career I hve no family or frnds support I do many private job in my life and I also earn very good income like 25000 or 30000 per month but I dont want money in my life becoz pesa to duniya kma leti h being a girl every person doing to make me negative or underestimate me i just want moral support in my life duniya m sirf ek person who can give me moral support only one I want respect to me girl hone ki vjh se family se lekr frnds tk sbhi ne thukraya im a Graduate in computer science and also MBA from distance I face lots of problems and struggle nd still I face it but I decide no more I leave in alone and i decide want to becomes a IAS officer yhi wo chij h jo sbhi logo ko answer de skti h ki girl never be down but I have no idea how to do started prepration I hve dadication to work hard but work hard not sufficient I need guidness so pls if any one help me how can I do that pls help me my study is bca graduation and age is 24 and I have no more time to countine so just give only 2 years for prepration mail me on [email protected] pls sir if possible thanku…

sir ,I am ece study ,I want to write the civil services exam , I don’t know the portion and also how many levels are there to qualify civil service exams….. i want you suggestions to fill my goals plss explain me in detail sir.

Hi…..
This is bhugeswar Sonowal….and I have been pursuing BA through IGNOU ….but I want to become an IAS officer ……im not satisfied with my present job…..so what strategy should I follow to achieve my goal….would you like to guide me….please……!!!!!

actually i can’t understand how to start the preparation m so much confused every time a single question comes in my mind how and where to start the preparation and also want to know coaching is compulsory for that kindly help me

Can anyone can become a Doctor without going class? Can anyone can be a Engineer without going class? Answer is No. There are many free classes for IAS for all really interested students who preparing for IAS exams.

Coaching classes increases Osmosis communication, Knowledge sharing, motivation, tips tricks are some of the important factors we get if we attend the classes.

I had done graduate degree of b.com last year so i want to ask which subject is best for optional subject for mains .i am from punjab can i appear for punjabi literature for mains . I humble request to u that Show briefly for main exam subjects thank u very much clear ias team

hello sir, i am last year student of B.E. in electrical branch. i want to be an IAS officer but i have no idea how to start preparation for this and i am from middle class family so i want to pass this exam without coaching. I am eng. student so which subject is good for me. plz sir reply me at my gmail. [email protected]